CHAPTER 1 -THE HIGH WALLERS
It has been five hundred and ninety-six days, sixteen hours, twelve minutes and three seconds since the last rainfall.
But who's counting?
Maggie Sawyer sat on her bedroom window still and gazed into the inky night. The outline of suburban houses surrounded her against a backdrop of stars. Several solar lights flickered through the windows of nearby homes while few dotted the empty roads. If she strained her eyes, she could see the outline of the perimeter walls that wrapped around the cluster of houses like a formidable concrete curtain, enclosing the community off from the barren outside world. It was so quiet that she could hear the nocturns clinking around in the vegetable garden.
Beads of sweat trickled down her spine. She didn't even shift to scratch her back. The discomfort had eventually become a comfort. The comfort of knowing that you're still alive despite all the fucked-up odds stacked against you since the drought was officially declared.
Bloated, decayed bodies.
Crying, screaming children.
Crushed babies with footprints on their tiny bodies.
Shattered glass from looted grocery stores.
Deadly fights over the last bottle of water.
Long, blond hair matted with blood and dirt.
Maggie knocked her head against the window frame to repress the grisly memories from flickering through her mind. In…1,2,3…out. In…1,2, 3...out. She repeated the breathing techniques Darla had taught her.
She hated having panic attacks.
"Maggie?"
She jerked. Heart pounding, she raised her head from the window frame and looked towards the bedroom door. "It's open," she croaked from her always parched throat.
Kara entered and eased the door shut. Maggie forced a smiled as the younger woman tiptoed across the scratched, wooden floor. From the dim solar light sitting on Maggie's bedside table, she could see Kara's thin, blue tank top and shorts already lined with sweat. Her blond hair was rolled into a tight bun with several loose strands stuck to her skin. The sight of her hair brought a flash of blood red in Maggie's mind that made her stomach roll. She immediately pushed away the morbid memory again and focused on Kara.
"You should let me cut your hair," Maggie offered, trying to sound normal as Kara got closer. "I can get it done with one swipe." She mimed a knife slicing through the air.
Kara lightly slapped her knee and sat on the window still, but she did not smile. Her face glistened in the faint light. Her permanently flushed face made her look like a blushing teenager around a crush. She leaned back against the window frame and pulled her knees close to her chest, mirroring Maggie's seated position. She bit her cracked lower lip and sighed. "I had a dream. Or a memory. I'm not sure which is it."
Maggie did not hear the screams that usually followed Kara's nightmares, so she took it as a good sign. She studied the creases on Kara's pink face, her dull, clouded eyes, tear-stained cheeks and heavy breaths. Then it clicked. Oh god. Maggie sat up and grabbed Kara's hands. "You remembered something about your family?"
"I-I think so. I'm not sure," she frowned while playing with Maggie's fingers, "it's confusing."
Maggie dipped her head to catch Kara's eyes. "Tell me anyway."
"I-most of the dream were jumbled. Some parts were blurry but only one person stood out. A woman with a serious face."
"Do you remember anything else about this woman?"
Kara shook her head. "It's probably not my sister. I felt her in my dreams before even though I didn't see her face. She makes me feel safe. Like I could take on all the gangs and she would always be there. Be my backup, you know. But I didn't feel anything when I saw this woman. Well she was intimidating. All she did in the dream was glare at someone or something. So maybe it's not her."
Maggie nodded. She eyed the muscle definition along Kara's sunburned arms and shoulders. Her body showed she was a fighter but when Maggie found her several months ago, she was a terrified woman running away from a gang of men and into a bush fire. She had no memory of her family, her past or how she got there. Just her name and her sister's name: Ally.
She squeezed Kara's hands, being careful to avoid the healing blisters. Kara looked up. "This is a good sign," Maggie assured her, "you're remembering faces. That means your memory is slowly coming back. I know it's frustrating-"
Kara sighed again.
"-but slow is good. Your mind is taking its time to heal. Don't worry. I promised you that we'll find them."
Kara finally smiled. "That's one of the first things you said to me when I woke up in this place. You make me feel so safe here."
I'll do everything I can to keep you that way. She wouldn't repeat her past mistakes.
Kara glanced at her. Maggie recognized the playful grin on her face. "Are you sure you're not my sister?"
Kara pulled her arm closer to hers and examined their contrasting skin tones.
"We could be twins," Maggie laughed.
They sat in comfortable silence until Kara yawned. Maggie tapped her knee. "It's about two hours until sunrise so you should get some sleep. Winn said he needs your help upgrading the communicators."
"Oh please. He doesn't need help. He just wants me there to hand him the tools he's too lazy to reach."
Maggie laughed again as Kara uncurled her legs and stood up. The twinkle was back in her bright, blue eyes. Maggie pointed at her bed. "You can stay here if you want." Her room was privy to the eastern winds which were both a blessing and a curse at times. It was a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house but required daily dusting thanks to the fine dirt the winds carried for miles.
Maggie followed Kara's gaze as she surveyed the simple room. A queen-sized bed was jammed against a cracked wall with faded blue paint. A brown bedside table held a small solar lamp, Maggie's phone and her water bottle. She looked at Maggie and asked. "You're not going back to bed?"
"I've got sentry duty in a bit," Maggie lied. It was easier than saying she barely slept in over a year since the drought started. Since she ended up in this community in the middle of nowhere.
Kara touched her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
Maggie nodded but that too was a lie. The last thing she would ever do was add to Kara's burden.
"I've been told that I'm an excellent listener," Kara continued, "and an efficient problem-solver. Plus, I stay cool and calm under pressure."
Maggie played along. "Right. Is that why you screamed like a baby when that animal jumped on James and almost scratched his eyes out while we were looking for food a few days ago?"
Kara gasped and whirled around. "That possum came from nowhere!"
Maggie stifled her laughter.
"How was I supposed to know it was hiding its babies in the bushes? And you!" she pointed at Maggie, "Miss Detective. You stood there staring at poor James while it tried to blind him!"
"True," Maggie said, "that wasn't one of my finer moments but James more than handled himself."
Still grumbling, Kara smoothed out the bedsheets and settled on the bed. Maggie turned her attention back to the night. The rhythmic clicking of garden tools hitting the ground had stopped. That meant the nocturns were on their way back to their respective houses.
It also meant that sunrise was near.
Maggie inhaled muggy air into her lungs. Another day fighting to survive the never-ending drought while trying to keep forty-five persons alive and sane.
Explosive coughs shattered the quiet. Maggie tilted her head in the direction of a neighbouring house. She cringed at the repeated wet, hacking sounds from the suffering soul and made a mental note to ask Darla about their first aid stocks.
Her phone beeped. Maggie glanced at it on the small table next to her bed and then to Kara who had already fallen asleep.
Probably one of the perimeter guards checking in.
She unfolded her legs and crossed the room. Her spine cracked in protest as she stretched her arms. She gasped when searing pain shot across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. Maggie clenched her jaw to stop herself from crying out. She shut her eyes and gently brushed trembling fingers against raw flesh. She whimpered. Her neck felt moist and flaky. Pieces of dark, wrinkled skin clung to her fingertips.
Another rip in her skin. Sun and heat were a deadly combination.
Thank God there aren't many mirrors in this house. I probably look like Chucky's Bride or a human that rose from the Pet Cemetery. She eyed the numerous discolorations and split skin along her exposed limbs. Chucky's bride it is.
As soon as the pain ebbed to a lazy throb, Maggie tiptoed to her night stand. Winn had done something to their useless phones to be able to use them as walkie-talkies. All she had to do was press the home button to talk to someone within range on a radio channel or use the keypad to warn the entire community with specific keystrokes.
She picked up the phone. It was M'gann, the leader of their small community behind the high walls. Maggie also lived in her house, therefore refusing to meet her before dawn was not an option. She replied with a series of beeps and shoved the phone into her back pocket. Maggie sniffed her tank top. She didn't need to change it yet, but she needed to check the water levels in the bathroom before she could take a quick wash. It made no sense changing her already musty clothes if there was not enough water for a bath.
She grabbed her dented silver water bottle, pushed it into her belt and secured her loaded service pistol into her side holster. She did not spare a glance at her dusty NCPD badge. Next to it was a creased photo of a beautiful, smiling woman. Her long, blond hair seemed to dance with the breeze when the picture was taken. Maggie touched the side of her face. I hope you're safe. Wherever you are.
Maggie tiptoed into Kara's room. The sky had shifted into a combination of pastel pinks and orange peeking out from behind shadowed clouds, offering dim light. She spotted Kara's water bottle on the floor next to her small bed. Her name was scratched on it. Everyone in the community had 16 ounces, stainless steel water bottle to ration drinking water.
Water sloshed inside the bottle when she picked it up. There were a few mouthfuls left. Maggie unscrewed hers and carefully poured some of her water into Kara's bottle. Kara had cried after her dream. Tears meant her body used water to create them. Her mouth might feel as though she swallowed sand when she woke up. It was not her fault she had to deal with traumatic memory loss. Maggie refused to let her suffer unnecessarily. Besides, it's not like she needed the extra water anyway. The last time she cried was exactly one year ago. After that photo was taken.
She placed the bottle next to Kara and tiptoed out of her room again. Maggie headed down the corridor to the bathroom, hoping for a quick wash. She gently pushed open the bathroom door and peered inside. The buckets under the taps were dry. She sighed.
They haven't had a trickle day in weeks.
She closed the door and headed downstairs. Familiar shuffles emanated from the kitchen. M'gann stood next to the island, staring at the rows of colourful canned food. She chose one and squinted at the label.
"Don't," Maggie warned. M'gann looked at her. "We haven't reached that level of desperate hunger where you have to eat canned asparagus for breakfast."
M'gann shrugged. She pushed the can back in line. "It's healthy," she reasoned but selected another. The marks on her face were visible in the watery light that filtered through the dirt-coated kitchen windows. Her thin, long sleeved shirt and cotton pants hid most of her skin. She was obviously dressed for outdoor work today. She turned around and smiled as Maggie approached.
"Good morning. How's Kara?"
Maggie didn't bother ask how she knew about Kara's dream when their rooms were on opposite ends of the upstairs corridor.
"Asleep." Maggie leaned against the cream coloured kitchen counter. "She remembered someone's face this time."
M'gann nodded. "Good. That's good." She held up two cans with distressed labels. "Peaches or beans?"
Maggie grimaced. "Neither but keep the peaches for Kara. She likes the sweet stuff. I still have my share of salted meat to get from Darla."
M'gann opened the beans and spooned some into her mouth. "Still tastes like shit. The trick is to eat it so fast that your taste buds get confused."
"That doesn't work with me," Maggie replied.
She walked to the covered plastic bucket labelled "Drinking Water" next to the sandy kitchen sink and filled her bottle. She marked off her first water ration for the day on a chart on the wall. Each person was allowed four bottles of water per day, less depending on the amount of drinking water left for the community and the frequency of trickle days.
"The taps are still dry," Maggie said.
"That's one of the things we need to discuss," M'gann answered, "the water levels are low. There's drinking water to last the neighbourhood at least one week, two if we ration to three bottles a day per person. Longer if we divert the water allocated for farming to drinking." She turned and stared out the grimy kitchen windows. Neighbours were putting their solar lights outside to charge. "But I don't want to do that. If the water stays for the crops, then we can actually get some fresh vegetables for the first time in months."
Maggie thrust the bottle back into her belt. She knew where this conversation was heading. "You want James and I to try the lake again."
M'gann held out her hands as though she was trying to plead with her. "We don't have a choice-."
"We?" Maggie scoffed, "we? James and I barely got out of there alive when Lord's patrolmen found us."
"The lake is not part of Lord's territory-."
Maggie rounded on her, flinching as the sudden motion pulled at her neck. "They shoot anyone who gets close! James got lucky the bullet only grazed his arm." She shook her head and lowered her voice. "You're crazy to ask anyone to go down there again."
"I have to do something Maggie," M'gann pushed the half-eaten beans away. "We can't sit here and wait for the authorities to find us, regardless of how many messages we send out. They've got their hands full with the City as it is. We have to take care of ourselves."
"Fine," Maggie snapped, wanting the conversation to end, "I'll go to the lake. I'll take the buckets with me and fill them if I can."
"No one leaves these walls alone," M'gann reminded her.
Maggie pursed her mouth to argue but a loud burst of static crackled from a corner of the kitchen. They jumped at the sound.
Maggie groaned. "Stupid radio."
The innocent black box continued to spew static until words replaced the noise. They moved closer.
"-the winds are supposed to pick up later this afternoon so protect your lungs. According to the military scientists, National City has recorded over 80 deaths due to infections caused by dust. Also, there's limited cloud cover today so for those working outside; just don't. Stay indoors. And please anyone listening, boil water before drinking it. And finally, some good news from L-Corp. Lena Luthor has made some sort of device that can manipulate the weather systems. How? I don't have a fucking clue-"
Maggie snorted.
"-But she's supposed to start testing it soon. Maxwell Lord-"
"Mother fucker," Maggie sneered. M'gann hummed in agreement.
"- of Lord Industries claims that he has also made headway into his device but as formalities go-."
Static again. Maggie lowered the volume, thinking about the news burst. Military scientists. She looked at M'gann. "What about the group that's guarding the freshwater reservoir?"
M'gann picked up the can of beans again and spooned some into her mouth. "What about them? You said they were dressed as though they were part of the army."
Maggie nodded. She had caught glimpses of them while out on the roads, but she never saw their faces since they were always covered from head to toe. "They didn't bother us. I can ask them for water. If they're really military then they're supposed to help civilians."
"That doesn't mean they're friendly," M'gann countered, "they haven't approached us."
Maggie shrugged. "They could be under orders or something but it's worth a shot asking. The possibility of getting my head blown off there is a lot less than trying the lake again."
M'gann sighed. "You're right. Make this a priority and take James with you. Use the buggy." M'gann glanced at her watch. "Leave the same time with the scouting party just in case someone is watching our movements."
Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Lord's men have better things to do but you never know."
Someone rapped on the front door. "M'gann! M'gann are you awake?"
Their eyes met. Judging from the frown on M'gann's face, Maggie figured she was not expecting anyone. She reached for her gun and moved towards the door. "Who is it?"
"It's Judith. Please I need M'gann!" came a hysterical female voice.
Maggie allowed M'gann to push part her and open the door to her closest neighbour. Everyone in the community was friendly enough with each other but Maggie learned to always keep her guard up during survival times.
She moved back into the kitchen to give the women their privacy. Maggie toggled her communicator. "James. Meet me at the buggy in ten minutes."
Maggie swept a layer of dust off the solar panels hitched to the back of the buggy while she waited for James. It was after seven in the morning and the sun was already a furnace, burning through her clothes and baking the dead ground. She was dressed in her scouting clothes: long, loose khaki trousers, long-sleeved white shirt and brown hiking boots with black fingerless gloves.
Puffs of dust billowed up from under her boots as she stepped to the fourth panel. Her phone crackled with static as the neighbourhood woke up. The perimeter guards informed her that the scouting group was almost ready to leave.
She pulled out her phone and spoke into it. "Rajesh, you're lead today. M'gann asked James and I to look into something."
"Understood," came a deep voice, "are there any specific requests?"
"Yes," Darla chimed in, "medicine. Any kind of medicine. The first aid kit is almost empty."
Maggie remembered the hacking coughs. "Especially cough medicine."
"And books," a high-pitched voice added, "the children need to continue learning despite the state of emergency."
"How about a list next time?" Rajesh joked.
There was a pause, then, "That reminds me. We're out of paper."
Maggie chuckled and left them to their fun. At least they were in good spirits. It was so easy to fall into a black hole of despair out here and harder to climb out of it.
The ground crunched behind her. "It's my turn to drive."
Maggie smirked as she turned around. "You don't even know where we're going."
James grinned as he walked to the driver's seat. "It doesn't matter."
Winn had taken a car, and with the help of several others, modified it into a light weight vehicle that powered on solar energy. Fuel was scarcer than water. That was part of the reason they survived this long. The car helped them get to areas that weren't targeted by gangs.
Maggie eyed James' clothes. His khaki sleeveless shirt showed off his dark, tattooed skin and bulging muscles. He was dressed in matching cargo pants and hiking boots. His water bottle glinted in the sun. She noticed several females gaze his way as he ran his scarred hands along the hood of the buggy.
"Water levels are low so we're going to meet our long-distance neighbours who are about two hours away," she updated him.
"Okay," he replied and settled into the driver's seat.
"They're military."
"I've dealt with worse." His scars proved as such. "Besides they might ask questions first before shooting so I'll take my chances."
Point taken. Maggie settled next to him as he put the car in gear and drove out of its spot. A washed-out red cooler rattled in the backseat next to a pair of binoculars and stained rags. M'gann had tossed some dry snacks to keep their hunger pangs away and an extra water bottle for emergency.
Their phones beeped. The scouts were gone. They were up next.
"How's Kara?" James asked, waving at a group of young women who had stopped to watch him drive by. They giggled. Maggie rolled her eyes.
"She's doing great," Maggie admitted, "she's with Winn today."
"Maybe these military people can help us find her family."
Maggie stared at him. "I didn't think of that."
He laughed. "I'm more than a pretty face with muscles you know." James shifted the gear into drive. "Do you have their exact location?"
"I figure we'll drive until we see an oasis."
They drove past the fortified gates. Maggie nodded to the armed guards. The first survival rule: no one was allowed in or out without clearance from herself or M'gann.
"I don't know if they're trustworthy," Maggie continued about the soldiers, as they left the safety of the high walls, "the last thing I want to do is give them power over us. The less they know the better. At least for now."
"Gotcha." James shifted gears. "We're approaching the main road. Time to wrap up."
Maggie pulled a thin cloth over her face and neck and slipped a pair of dark lens goggles over her eyes. She didn't need red, gritty eyes at the end of this trip and more sunburns on her already damaged skin. She shoved a hat over James head and handed him a pair of goggles.
He took the buggy to its top speed of 50mph on the empty, dusty road. Everything was brown and hazy thanks to the barren soil and winds that carried dirt for miles.
They sped past vacant houses, looted stores, crumbling walls and stick trees. Bones of dead animals littered the sides of the road. They were among the first to succumb to the drought. She remembered walking over dead birds on the roads when there wasn't a puddle of water for miles. People couldn't always spare water for their beloved pets when they barely had for themselves. Only the vultures thrived in this type of hellhole, feasting on every scrap of dead flesh.
The palette of brown plains and charred wood continued for most of the drive. Maggie and James only stopped to clear the silt off the solar panels and sip water.
They were driving for over two hours when her butt began cramping. Maggie shifted in the hard bucket seat, grabbed the binoculars from the back, pulled her goggles down her face and pressed the bulky lens against her eyes.
Green.
She thought her mind was playing tricks on her. She rubbed her eyes and checked again.
The green got bigger. Her heart skipped a beat.
She punched James' leg. He immediately slowed down. Maggie stared at the bright greens beckoning to her through the binoculars. We found it.
Maggie handed the binoculars to James.
"Wow," he whispered.
"I'm not seeing things, right?" she mumbled.
"Nope. I'm seeing the blob of green too."
They agreed to drive right up to the reservoir, now dubbed the oasis, instead of surprising the inhabitants. As they got closer, Maggie saw green patches of life reclaiming the earth. The buggy rolled to a stop. Maggie stared at the outburst of colour in front of her.
Different shades of green danced with the wind, exposing thick stems and rich brown tree barks. The scent of perfume wafted into the buggy. Her mother always wore jasmine. Maggie searched the landscape until she saw the white flowers nestled among other shrubs.
She didn't realize she was smiling until her cheeks twitched. She didn't realize she had left the car until she stepped on grass. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until dark spots dotted the corner of her eyes.
Maggie breathed. The air was different. Clean. Crisp. Towering trees offered rare shade and protection from the sun. The breeze picked up again and cooled her hot skin. She shivered slightly. Emily was always the cold one and after making love, they would cuddle close to the fireplace in Maggie's apartment.
"How big is this place?" James asked. She heard the wonder in his voice but did not answer. She was busy memorising every leaf, every colourful flower and every blade of grass.
Grass.
Maggie knelt pressed her hands on the grass. She forgot its strange sensation of being soft and prickly at the same time.
"This is heaven," she whispered.
James was saying something to her, but she became mesmerized by the grass sliding through her fingers. A gurgling sound reached her ears. Birds sang to their kin. Maggie closed her eyes and was immediately transported to summer afternoons, swimming and splashing in the lake near their childhood home.
A gun cocked. Her eyes snapped open. A cold muzzle pressed between her shoulder blades just as she reached for her gun.
"Don't even think about it."
Maggie raised her hands. "We 're civilians. We came to ask for help," she said.
A tall, burly figure in a black ski mask stood over her. "Stand up," a male voice growled. She obeyed. She twisted her neck to see two others, in similar green tactical pants, shirts and face masks, confiscate James' weapons. He was on his knees with hands clasped behind his head. His jaw flexed repeatedly. James was pissed.
Knowing he would not take unnecessary risks, Maggie focused on the three who pointed their rifles at her chest. "We just want to talk," she tried again.
An unmasked woman stepped into view. Maggie stuttered. She was gorgeous. Her clean skin was porcelain smooth. Her flawlessness flowed everywhere and disappeared into the same tactical clothes. Her black, glossy hair swirled down to her shoulders. Maggie couldn't stop staring into eyes that matched the colour of the grass.
One of the others frisked Maggie and siezed her pistol, hunting knife and phone.
The woman nodded.
"Hey!" she heard James protest.
Someone grabbed her wrists and covered her mouth. Everything went black.